Saturday, May 27, 2017

15mm Combined ground forces Mecha Battle via Age of Saints

Awhile back I wrote a set of rules that I originally envisioned to be used for tabletop gaming the Science Fantasy genre from settings like Star Wars or Dune etc called Age of Saints.

What developed was a generic rules set that contained archetypes and templates to use for almost any scifi setting that was quick and easy to play.

With the passing of my friend Allen, he helped test play these very rules and has some things in the book named after him!, I came into the possession of a large amount of mecha. I decided to try using Age of Saints for a VOTOMS style game, anime fame, in 15mm scale. My friend Rob assembled a force to match my own and we stripped down AOS to Kinetic weapons only, no special characters, and some standard Walker templates to match the setting.

Here is a standard Rafm Heavy Gear mech set for 15mm gaming:

To put the focus on the mecha, I changed how Mass is used in the game for creating Constructs. Normally a Construct, vehicle of any sort, has a set amount of Mass available to fit weapons or modifications to it in the game. What I added was that this was true for mecha also, BUT mecha could also CARRY weapons instead of just mounting them to the hull meaning that they could have more options, twice the available mass by carrying a gun in their arms.

The goal of the game was to control the most of 3 Objective points on the table at the end of 4 turns.

A view of the table

The other end

A Gear and a modified halo tank, see previous posts for back story.

Annnnnnnnnnddddd GO-

Rob advances his tank that is equipped with a Phase Drive. A Phase Drive modification lets you pass through solid objects in your move, but you cannot target or fire in the same turn. It also makes you almost invulnerable when used, BUT it comes with a cost that will be seen later...

My mecha advances across the catwalks.

Infantry forward.

Rob's Gear with a Thermal scorcher advances to my left.

Infantry advance using the gears for cover.

Infantry on the move

My gear attacks Rob's from a hull down position from the hill incline, manages to damage gear's legs reducing it to slow only speed for the rest of the game.

Rob retaliates, hoses down my gear with the Thermal Scorcher hitting my main drive and sending it on fire, flailing into his mech. COLLLISIONNNN! Both mecha take more damage with my mobility shot.

Another gear I have fires a chaingun and hits the scorcher gear, it's drive blows out and it crashes into the walkway to the right resulting in another penetrating hit-

BOOM

BOOM again, my tank gets taken out by a Construct Killer missile. One shot weapons mounted on the gears and Rob's hit home. Turn 2 was not kind to me.

My next gear gets blown by another missile.

Rob's got a good fire station here hitting a lot of my troops!

The Rob Combine advances it's infantry.

His tank holds down an objective.

My light walker engages Rob's to no avail.

I try to bait out Rob's rail gun armed tank, BUT CANT LOCK ON!!

Neither gear is having any luck hitting that tank!!

Rob moves his gear to counter...

My heavy gear attacks the other gear on a building with its chaingun and blows it off the building-

BOOM!

My little walkers last stand, Rob cuts him down!

Dusted and the blast kills my nearby infantry.

Vengeance, my disabled mech from the scorcher is still able to shoot and takes out the small walker!

It was a long shot-

My infantry secure an objective

My mech, failing to shoot long range, goes right up to Rob's phase tank and destroys it with a penetrating hit, BUT the hit is to its phase drive and kills two infantry squads nearby and the gear with the blast!!!

The game ended on turn 4 with both of us holding an objective and one disputed by both sides, so I guess we dig trenches. Game took about an hour and a half and played through quickly without a lot of rule checking so I'm pleased and Rob said he enjoyed it too. Only additions talked about was maybe more melee options for gears and some pepper box rockets.

I think Allen would have enjoyed it, not a lot of note keeping needed, smooth play and NO HEAT SINKS :)

The Abonimable Doctor Merkury

A long time wargamer who has studied the forgotten arts of Alchemy and Pre Cambrian History. Graduate of the Miskatonic University and long time member of the Empire Club. Single Father with custody of a wonderful daughter.